


Zuko x Sokka Oneshots

by demiboy_demon



Category: Avatar the Last Airbender - Fandom
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:25:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18339869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demiboy_demon/pseuds/demiboy_demon
Summary: There aren’t enough fanfics for the best ship in Avatar: the Last Airbender. But here are a few more.





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko ran down the alleyway, chasing the man running from him. He wasn’t going to get away from him this time. 

This man had raped, murdered, and hurt many people, and it was time for him to go down. The police hadn’t done anything because the man was rich, white, and well off, but Zuko couldn’t be bribed or manipulated. He was the Blue Spirit, a vigilante who made sure no one escaped justice.

He liked what he did. Some days, it was the only thing he liked about himself. But it was getting increasingly difficult for him to sneak out at night without his roommate noticing. 

Zuko quietly locked the door to his apartment. He heard a throat clear behind him. Luckily, Zuko’s mask was in his bag, so Sokka couldn’t see his secret.

“Why are you out so late, again?” Sokka asked.

“None of your business.” Zuko replied. 

“Um, I think it is my business. If you insist on waking me up at all hours of the night, I demand to know why.”

“Let it go, Sokka,” Zuko said, pushing past his roommate and going into his room. He hid his mask in his closet, then took a shower and went to bed. 

 

“You hear about Jason Smith?” Sokka asked the next morning, eating his cereal at his and Zuko’s table. He was reading the news on his phone.

“The murderer/rapist, right? What about him?” Zuko asked. 

“He was killed last night. Police suspect the Blue Spirit.”

Zuko feigned surprise. “The Blue Spirit? Again? They haven’t been caught yet?”

“No. Police place time of death between midnight and three am. That’s about the time you were out. It’s good they didn’t kill you.”

Zuko laughed. “Yeah. Don’t see why they would kill me, though. I’m not too bad of a person.”

“Your dad....”

“I’m not responsible for my father’s actions. He and I are different people. Very different people.”

Sokka held his hands up in surrender. “Whatever, man. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Zuko smiled. “Thanks, Sokka. That means a lot.”

 

Zuko snuck out as the Blue Spirit again a few weeks later. Sokka was asleep when Zuko left, so he didn’t need to worry about Sokka getting suspicious, so long as he was quiet. 

The night itself wasn’t very eventful, just your average eye-for-an-eye justice stuff. 

He got back home at about one am. Sokka was still asleep, not suspecting a thing. Zuko hid his mask and went to sleep. 

 

Zuko groaned as his phone rang. All he wanted to do was to was to eat lunch in peace. He answered it, “What?”

“Wow. Real pleasant greeting.” It was Sokka. “You have any glue?”

“What? Why do you need glue?”

“For making oatmeal.”

“What?”

“Nah, man. I’m doing a project for my advanced psychology class.”

“Yeah, I have glue.”

“Cool. Can I use some?”

“Sure. I’ll be home in about an hour, I’ll get it for you, then.”

“I need it now, though.”

“Sorry, man. I’m in the middle of lunch, and I’m fairly far away from the apartment.”

“Can’t I just go into your room and get it? I know you don’t like people in your room, but-” 

“No! Absolutely not. Do not go into my room. It’s my private space. Plus, it’s a mess. You wouldn’t be able to find the glue with all the chaos.”

“Fine. I won’t do it.”

“Good. I’ll be there in an hour.” 

Zuko put another bite of pasta into his mouth. Sokka wouldn’t lie and go into his room, would he? No. Sokka was trustworthy, and a good roommate.

 

“Does this make me a bad roommate?” Sokka asked himself as he stood outside Zuko’s bedroom door, hand on the silver colored doorknob. After a moment, he shrugged and opened the door.

Zuko’s room wasn’t messy at all. Sure, there were a few food wrappers here and there and an empty coffee cup or two, but other than that, the room was clean. 

Sokka laughed. “This is his idea of messy?” 

He looked around the room. “Hhmmm. If I were glue, where would I be?” 

Sokka looked in Zuko’s dresser. Nothing but clothes and shoes. In his bookshelf there were only books. There was nothing under his bed. The shelf above his bed didn’t have any glue on it, and there was none in his desk. All that was left to do was to look in his closet. 

Sokka looked in the closet, rummaging through clothes and papers and empty bottles and paper clips. Now this was messy. Sokka checked his watch. Zuko should be home in 10 minutes. Then he could find the glue. But until then, Sokka would continue to search. 

Sokka didn’t find the glue, but he found something much weirder. There was a carved out hole in the floor, covered with stuff. In the hole was an ornate blue mask. It looked weirdly familiar, but Sokka couldn’t place where he had seen it. But it gave him a bad feeling, so he put it up. 

Sokka heard the font door opening and quickly got out of Zuko’s room. He was sure he hadn’t left any evidence of being in there. 

“Okay, Sokka.” Zuko said, hanging up his keys. “I’ll go get the glue.” 

 

Sokka stayed up late that night, working on his project. Zuko didn’t know this. 

“Where are you going?” Sokka asked.

“Um,” Zuko said uncomfortably, “On a walk. To the tea shoppe. I’m craving some chamomile.”

Sokka squinted at him. “At eleven at night?”

Zuko shrugged. “Tea cravings hit at the weirdest of times. What can I say?”

Sokka looked suspicious, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth questioning. “Whatever, man. You want to go out to your weird midnight cult sacrifices or whatever, fine. But be quiet when you come back in. I need my sleep. You can’t maintain skin this good without a proper sleeping schedule.”

“Will do. I’ll be quiet when I get back.”

 

The killing itself was basic. Nothing to think too much about. Millionaire guy tortured and kills a bunch of kids, Zuko finds him, and shoots him in the head. A swift, virtually painless death. Just the way he liked it. 

After Zuko had killed the person he was looking for, he was running away when he heard someone shout. 

“Help! It’s the Blue Spirit!” 

Zuko looked back at the woman who had yelled. She looked terrified. She held up her phone to call the police. Zuko ran as fast as he could away from the crime scene. 

When he was sure he hadn’t been followed, he took off his mask. His face was sweaty from running, as were his hands. Zuko took a deep breath. He opened the door to the apartment and went inside. It seemed like Sokka was asleep. 

 

Zuko sat at the table with his breakfast. 

“So, how was your tea last night?” Sokka asked. 

“Oh, yeah. Tea was good. Tasted like hay. It made my tongue swell up and my throat scratchy, so I should probably get that checked out.” Zuko responded. 

“Cool. Hey, did you read the news this morning?”

“No, why?” Zuko asked, putting cereal into his mouth.

“Someone got a picture of the Blue Spirit the other night.” Sokka held out the phone with the picture on it. 

“Man, that guy looks like bad news.” Zuko said.

“You know what’s funny, though? I’ve seen that mask before.”

Zuko started to feel as if he’d rather be anywhere but there. “Oh?”

“Yeah. You have that mask.”

“Crazy world.” Zuko shrugged. “It must be a popular mask. I got it a few Halloweens ago at Party City. Haven’t really worn it much, but I figure I should have at least one costume on hand in case I ever get invited to another costume party or something.”

“Hm. Then why was it hidden?”

“It wasn’t hidden. My closet’s just a mess- Wait, how did you even know I had that mask? Did- did you go in my room?”

Now Sokka was the one who looked like he’d rather be anywhere but there. “Um... no?”

Zuko gave him a death glare.

“Okay, fine, I did, but only because I needed glue! I’m sorry.”

Zuko took a deep breath. He stood up and walked angrily into his room. He closed the door, and didn’t come out for many days. 

 

“Katara, I really messed up.” Sokka said on the phone. 

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” Katara said. “What happened?”

“Okay, so, you know my roommate? Zuko?”

“Yeah. Did he do something to you? I’ve never liked him.”

“No, he didn’t do anything. He’s a good guy. Plus, he’s super hot- er, hotpocket. Yeah. Hotpocket.”

“He’s hotpocket? What does that mean?”

“Irrelevant. So, I went snooping in his room-”

“Sokka!”

“I know, I know. I needed something of his, and I found out that he has a really big secret.”

“What secret?”

“I- I can’t tell you. But it’s fine. But also, if my body turns up dead somewhere, it’s Zuko.” 

“What the hell? What’s the big secret?”

“You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?”

“I’m getting scared, Sokka. Fine, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Zuko is a vigilante. He’s the Blue Spirit.”

There was silence on Katara’s end. “This isn’t something to joke about, Sokka.”

“I’m not joking. I found his mask when I was snooping. Now he’s not talking to me. I’m worried I made him upset.”

“You found out your roommate’s a serial killer and you’re worried you made him sad?”

“He’s a good person. He had a really rough life. Plus, he only kills incredibly bad people. That’s cool.”

“No, dummy, that’s not cool. Let the police handle this.”

“I don’t want to be a bad roommate, and I don’t want Zuko to get into trouble.”

“He. Is. A. Murder.”

“Who only kills other murderers. He’s doing the world a service.”

Katara took a deep breath. “Okay. I won’t tell the police. But you need to fix this. If you like Zuko, tell him.”

“Of course I like Zuko, he’s my friend. He knows I like him.”

“No, Sokka. You like like him. I can tell. Tell him how you feel. If he doesn’t feel the same way, you can always turn him over to the cops.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you like him.”

Sokka was quiet for a moment. “How do I go about telling him? I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I’ve barely even had a successful relationship. I mean, my first girlfriend texted me telling me she was the moon now. I mean, what even?”

“Just ask him if he wants to get coffee. Or dinner. Or to get a drink. It doesn’t matter.”

“What if he kills me?”

“He’s a vigilante, not a murderer.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll ask him out.”

“Text me after you ask him.” Katara hung up.

 

Sokka took a deep breath and knocked on Zuko’s bedroom door. “Hey, Zuko. Can we talk?”

No response. 

“Wait, Zuko, are you even in there? I’m coming in.” 

Sokka tried to open the door. It was locked. Sokka took out a penny and put it in the slot of the door and twisted. The door came open. Zuko wasn’t there. He must’ve snuck out when Sokka was asleep or something. 

Sokka sighed. Where could he be? Sokka thought back to the last few days. The tea shoppe! He was pretty sure Zuko’s uncle worked at the tea shoppe. That’s where Sokka would look first.

 

Sokka opened the door to the tea shoppe and heard the friendly greeting of Zuko’s uncle. 

“Oh, hello, Sokka. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, Iroh. Have you seen Zuko around? I, um, I want to ask him something.”

Iroh nodded knowingly. “It’s hard for Zuko to love because of his relationship with our family, but once you’ve earned his trust, he has a heart of gold.”

Sokka sighed sadly. “I’m worried that I broke his trust. I feel awful about it. I- I found out a secret about him, and now he’s been avoiding me. I’m worried I messed everything up. You’re wise. What should I do?”

Iroh gave Sokka a warm smile. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. I was in a bind similar to yours once. When I was fighting in the war, I learned a terrible secret about my friend. He never spoke to me again, and I didn’t reach out to him, lest I forfeit my pride. Now I wish that I had mended this relationship while I still had the chance.” 

Iroh paused, then continued speaking again, smile gone. “Go to Zuko. Tell him how you feel about him. He will understand. He’s upstairs, first room on the left.”

Iroh handed Sokka the key. Sokka looked at the curtain that separated the staircase from the shop. He looked back to Iroh and smiled. “Thanks, Iroh. I will.”

Sokka went up the stairs. “He said first door on the right, right?” 

Sokka murmured. He opened the door. The room was full of old vending machines. “Hmm. Wrong room, I guess.”

Sokka opened the correct door and saw Zuko sitting at a desk, writing. Sokka walked up behind him and looked at what he was writing. 

Stop reading over my shoulder, Sokka. 

“What?” Sokka said. “How did you know I was reading over your shoulder?”

“To be honest, I didn’t. I’ve had this written down for days because I knew you would find me at some point.”

“Hm. So, what’s up?”

Zuko turned around to look at him. “What’s up? Um, not much, really. My roommate found out that I’m a vigilante because he was snooping through my stuff, and I just found out I’m allergic to chamomile. But other than that, nothing much.”

“Oh, that’s why it made your tongue swell up? Makes sense.” Sokka nodded. “And about the other thing, I didn’t tell anyone. Well, I told my sister. But she didn’t tell anyone.”

Zuko looked stoic and serious, his face showing no sign of emotion.

“And, uh, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What?”

Sokka took a deep breath. “So, I know you’re my roommate, and I don’t want things to be awkward, but I have really strong feelings, and I want to stop avoiding them. And I talked to your uncle, and he said you probably felt the same way. Maybe? He’s pretty mysterious. I’m never really sure what he means. But I think I understand what he meant. Anyway, I need to ask you, um, if-”

“Yes, Sokka. I would love to go out with you.” Zuko said, smiling. 

“Wait, really? Great!” 

“Yeah. How about later this evening? We could go to dinner or something.”

Sokka beamed. “Sounds good.”


	2. Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if Zuko had stopped chasing the avatar sooner? What if he realized that his father was oppressive, and that the only one who could restore his honor was himself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had this in my drafts for almost a year now, and I finally decided to stop nitpicking the details and post it.

Zuko sighed contently. It had been exactly one year since his banishment, and six months since he had stopped caring. 

His uncle had been a big help in making Zuko realize that the whole avatar thing was a wild goose chase. He had been upset at first, but then he realized that Iroh was right. It was a wild goose chase. 

Even if it was possible to find the avatar, why would he want to? 

It’s not like Zuko wanted to rejoin the fire nation. Iroh has made him realize that, too. He was much happier without Azula or his father. The fire nation was oppressive, and he was better off being banished. Ever since his mother had died, his home had become a house of abuse and painful memories. Azula was the golden child, and Zuko..... Well, Zuko was closer to flying buffalo dung in his father’s eyes. 

After he decided he was done chasing the avatar for his father, Zuko felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had never felt so free. 

Even when Zuko heard about the avatar being found in an iceberg, he stayed out of it. He was busy working in his uncle’s tea shop. 

It was a cute, small shop, built into the ship that had once belonged to the fire nation. Now it belonged to Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots, a quaint shop in an Earth bender colony, one that hadn’t been overtaken by the fire nation.

It was a nice life, not being involved in his father’s pointless war. Being free to be himself without the fear of not being enough. He had a peaceful life.

The ladies were all over Zuko, but he wasn’t interested, no matter how much his uncle tried to get him to get a girlfriend. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a boyfriend instead, or if he’d rather be single, or if he just hadn’t met the right woman yet, but he didn’t really care. 

 

“Zuko!” Uncle Iroh called out.

Zuko poked his head out of the closet he was hiding in. “Yes, Uncle?”

“A very nice girl came to see you. Her name is Zi Lee. She’s a tailor. She was very disappointed that you weren’t here. Where were you?”

“I was hiding in this closet.” Zuko replied.

Iroh looked taken aback. His brow furrowed. “Why were you hiding?”

“Zi Lee is a great girl,” Zuko explained, “She’s smart and pretty, and her family is fairly respectable. But I’m just not interested in romance at the moment.”

Iroh shook his head, but he was smiling. “Oh, Zuko. Why, when I was your age, I wanted nothing more than to conquer nations and charm beautiful women. But not everyone is the same. You’ll meet someone one day, and they will be wonderful.” 

Zuko noted that his uncle said ‘they’ And not ‘she.’ He wondered if this was a conscious decision made, or if his uncle had simply had a slip of the tongue.

“Anyway,” Iroh said, “It’s time for dinner. I made cabbage soup and rice.”

Zuko lowered himself out of the closet. “That sounds great, Uncle. But why cabbage soup? You hate cabbage.”

Iroh nodded. “Yes, but the cabbage vendor looked so sad. He said his cabbages kept being knocked over. I wanted to make him a little happier, so I bought a cabbage.”

“That was very nice of you. I hope it made him happy.”

“I hope so, too. It’s always nice to brighten someone’s day.”

 

Zuko was taste-testing tea for his uncle the next day when the story broke.

“Hmm.” Zuko said, “I think it needs something. Maybe a little bit more ginger?”

Iroh nodded. “Ginger. Got it. Does it need any more lychee?”

“No, it’s good lychee wise.” Zuko replied. “Maybe some tapioca would give it some texture, but then again, it’s tea, so it doesn’t really need a text-”

“The avatar!” A voice from outside cried. “He’s back! He was freed from an iceberg, and now he’s back to defeat the fire nation!”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Another rumor starter. People need to stop believing everything they hear from some random guy screaming in the streets.”

“And he’s here, in our little colony!” The man outside yelled. Zuko rubbed his hand to his forehead, willing away the headache that came with thinking about the avatar. 

“He’s searching for someone to teach him firebending!”

Zuko sighed and shook his head. 

“Probably a tourist, trying to stir up trouble,” Iroh sighed. Zuko nodded in agreement. 

‘Even if it was the avatar,’ Zuko thought, ‘My days of chasing an impossible goal are over.’

 

The next day, Zuko went out to the marketplace. He needed to get something for him and his uncle to eat for dinner. 

He was looking at some buying elephant koi when someone bumped into him from behind. 

“Agh!” Zuko said.

“Sorry!” A boy’s voice said. 

Zuko turned around. Behind him was a short, bald boy in air Nomad clothes was behind him. He had a blue arrow on his head. 

“No worries,” Zuko responded, “Where’d you get your clothes? They don’t look like they’re from here.”

The boy smiled at him. “Oh, they’re from the Southern Air temple.”

“Oh, cool. You get them from an antique shop or something?” Zuko wasn’t sure why he was asking. He didn’t really care. He guessed he was trying to be polite. 

“No, I got them before the fire nation destroyed it.” The boy said.

Zuko shook his head. Kids and their sarcasm. “Sure, kid.”

A guy ran up to the boy. He was tan and lean, with hair pulled into a small ponytail. He was handsome, and he was carrying a man purse. That took a few points off his total attractiveness tally, but he was still cute.

“Aang, there you are. Kartara was looking for you, she wants to practice waterbending with you.”

The bald boy, Aang, Zuko assumed, turned to the other guy. “I’ll go find her in a minute.”

“Waterbending?” Zuko asked. 

The unnamed boy looked at him. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“A little far from the Southern water tribe.” Zuko said, narrowing his eyes. If this guy was going to be rude to him, he was going to be rude right back.

“Yeah, no shit.” Said Unnamed boy.

“What’re you doing so far North?” 

“Um, you ever heard of the avatar?” The unnamed boy leaned against the stand selling elephant koi.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Who hasn’t?”

“Well, Aang here just happens to be him. And I’m Sokka, his mentor.”

Aang looked up at Sokka. “You’re not my mentor.”

Sokka glared at him. “Aang,” He whispered through gritted teeth. Zuko was pretty sure that he wasn’t meant to hear what Sokka was saying, but it’s not like Sokka was being quiet. “Aang, I’m trying to impress the hot Earth Nation boy. Can you not ruin it for me?” 

Zuko looked around, wanting to see the hot guy. The marketplace wasn’t too crowded, so it shouldn’t be too hard. The only problem was, there were no hot guys around them. Everyone surrounding them was either really old and saggy or female. One person was both. 

‘Wait,’ Zuko realized, ‘Am I the hot guy?’

“Yeah, so,” Sokka said, “I’m traveling with my sister and the avatar. Also this girl named Toph, who seems mean at first, but she grows on you.”

‘The avatar?’ Zuko thought, ‘Uncle was right. When I stopped looking for him, he found me. But I don’t even want to find him any more.”

After a moment of consideration, Zuko said, “Good for you.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem impressed.”

Zuko shrugged, “I’m pretty much over the avatar. He’s way overhyped these days.”

He looked to the avatar, Aang. “No offense.”

Aang shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not as fun being the avatar as people make it out to be.”

Zuko nodded. Then he walked away, because he didn’t care about hunting down the avatar anymore, and he didn’t want to get drawn back into that mindset. He went back into his and Iroh’s house, which was attached to their tea shop. 

“I got some diced elephant koi.” Zuko gestured to the bag in his hand. “Also, I met the avatar.”

Iroh dropped the kettle he was holding. Hot water spilled over the tile floor. “What?” 

“Yeah. The rumors were true,” Zuko said, “He’s in our town. I talked to him a little, but then I left.”

Iroh got a mop and began to mop up the spilled water. “I’m proud of you, Zuko. I know how hard it is to give up something you once wanted so badly.”

Zuko shrugged. “Thank you, but you were right all those months ago. The Fire Nation isn’t something I want to be a part of.”

 

Zuko went out on a walk late that night. He needed to clear his head. He kept thinking about the avatar. 

‘No,’ Zuko thought, ‘I’m not thinking about the avatar, so much as the guy who was with him.’

Zuko looked around the square. It was dark and empty. The street lights weren’t lit. He sighed and rolled his eyes. The town officials weren’t very good at remembering to light the lanterns at night. 

It was getting darker by the minute. Zuko looked around the square. He didn’t see anyone. 

Cautiously, he lit up his hand. Just a small flame, so if anyone saw him from their windows, they would assume he was holding a candle.

From behind him, Zuko heard a gasp. He turned around and saw the bald arrow-headed boy from earlier.

Zuko quickly extinguished his light. “I can explain,” He stammered.

“Didn’t I see you earlier?” The boy, Aang, Zuko remembered, interrupted him.

“Yeah,” Zuko said, “But listen, I didn’t-”

“You’re a good firebender!” Aang said excitedly. He grabbed Zuko’s wrist and started pulling him, “I told Katara they still existed. C’mon, you gotta meet my friends.” 

Zuko yanked away his wrist. “Woah! Sorry, Avatar, you seem like a nice kid, but I’m not getting wrapped back up in this war.”

Aang looked disappointed. “But we’re fighting for good, and I need someone to help me learn firebending.”

Zuko shook his head. “I’m not your guy.”

“But what about the greater good?”

“I work in a tea shop. That’s the greatest good I ever want to get.”

Aang sighed. “Just come meet my friends. Please?”

Zuko realized that he wasn’t going to be able to make this kid leave, and he probably couldn’t outrun an airbender. “Fine,” He relented.

“Great! I’ll take you to our camp site.” Aang said, dragging Zuko behind him. 

The campsite was on the edge of town, on the beach. There was a girl making shapes in the air with water, and another standing with her feet in the ocean. The guy from earlier, Sokka, was sitting on the sand shouting out guesses to what the water bending girl was trying to make. 

“Beaver-duck!” He shouted.

The girl shook her head.

“Platypus-pigeon!”

“Nope!”

“Come on, Katara,” Sokka whined, “Give me a hint.”

“It can fly,” The girl, Katara, Zuko assumed, said. 

“Appa!” Sokka yelled.

The water figure dropped from the air back into the ocean when Katara saw Aang and Zuko walking toward them.

“Hey, guys!” Aang said. “I found a good firebender.”

Zuko watched in amusement as both Katara’s and Sokka’s faces took on expressions of shock.

“The guy from the elephant koi stand?” Sokka asked, waving his arms around indignantly, “No way he’s a bender!”

“Is too!” Aang argued.

“Is not,” Sokka countered. 

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Guys,” Katara interrupted, “Even if he is a firebender, how do we know he’s trustworthy?”

Everyone looked to Zuko, as if he had wanted to be here in the first place. He shrugged, “I never said I was.”

Aang made a sound like a betrayed child. “Wha- But I saw you firebend! Now you’re saying you’re not a bender?”

“I’m just saying that I never wanted to come here in the first place. I already told you that I’m not teaching you firebending. I’m not getting caught back up in my father’s war.”

“Your father?” A new voice asked. Zuko turned to see a girl with black hair who had walked up to them way too quietly. 

“Yeah,” Sokka said, “What does your father have to do with this?”

Zuko mentally cursed himself. ‘Well, at least after they know, they’ll let me leave.’

“My father is Emperor Ozai,” Zuko declared. A gasp rang through the gathered people. “I am Prince Zuko, and I have no intention of ever fighting on either side of this war.” 

No one said anything for a few seconds. ‘Finally, I can go home,’ Zuko thought. He turned around and started marching back up the beach, toward the town. 

“Idiots,” The unnamed black haired girl said. “Zuko is the banished prince. Emphasis on banished. Have you guys never been to a party? Or even read a newspaper?”

“You’ve never read a newspaper, either, Toph,” Sokka pointed out. 

“Yeah,” The black haired girl, Toph, replied, “Because I’m blind. But you guys aren’t, so none of you have any excuse to not know about the banished prince.”

Zuko started walking away faster. ‘Maybe if I walk fast enough, I’ll be gone by the time they get to the embarrassing bits of that story.’

“He got banished for standing up to his father. It was a big scandal,” Toph explained as Zuko further picked up his pace. “My parents would talk about it whenever gossip was low.”

Zuko broke into a run. Maybe if he got away fast enough, they wouldn’t be able to follow him. 

Unfortunately, sand is hard to run on and airbenders are fast. 

“Hey, Zuko!” Aang shouted across the beach. 

Zuko pretended not to hear him. 

“Zuko!” Aang said, now much closer. 

Zuko groaned and rubbed his temples. “What?”

“I know you don’t want to get caught up in this war, but it’s really important that I learn to firebend before Sozin’s comet. If I don’t, I won’t have any way to save the world.”

Zuko wanted to say that that wasn’t his problem, but deep down, he knew it was. After all, he lived on the world. If the fire nation took it over, (only a matter of time, really,) then Zuko was as good as dead. 

“Why can’t someone else teach you firebending?” Zuko asked. Surely there was someone else who this responsibility could fall to. 

“Because you’re the only one who’s willing to,” Aang responded.

“What part of ‘no’ screams ‘willing’ to you?”

“If you don’t teach me, no one will,” Aang said, “And then the world will all be taken over by your dad and we’ll all die.”

Zuko considered this. The kid made a compelling point. He sighed. 

“Fine,” Zuko relented, “But as soon as you get it, you’ll leave me alone, okay? I don’t want to fight in this war. I just want to work in my uncle’s tea shop.”

“Deal!” Aang shouted. 

Zuko groaned. He glared at the avatar. “You’d better be a fast learner.”

 

Uncle Iroh took the news surprisingly well. “You’re going to teach the avatar firbending?”

Zuko nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“That way he can defeat the firelord.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Zuko said, “But I didn’t want to do it. The avatar wouldn’t stop pestering me until I agreed.”

“I was going to say that I support you, Zuko,” Iroh said. “I am proud of your for doing what is right.”

“Plus,” Zuko said, hoping he sounded casual and nonchalant, “There was this really cute guy with him...”

Iroh sipped his tea with a happy look on his face. “A cute guy, huh? Tell me more.”

Zuko grinned upon hearing his uncle’s support. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with the avatar, but he supposed it would be fine.

After all, like his uncle said, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out.


End file.
